#[ i realized formatting worked again. kind of it does work so we're back here ]

[scarletwinterxx]

sit down with jeong jaehyun

hello! so this is a new format of story I wanted to do, hope you like it🥺 i do have a few works on the way but I've been so busy with work again and this coming months i feel like so I apologize in advance for the slow uploads.

If you want me to make more of this with the other members just let me know😅 or you have a request or scenario you want me to do, just send me a message I'll see what I can do😊💌

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

The scene starts with two vacant chairs in front of the camera. Then two people walk in, sitting right next to each other.

"Okay, welcome. Can you introduce yourselves please" someone from behind the camera says

Your partner gestures for you to go first, "Hi I'm Jeong Y/N, 25"

"Hello, I'm Jeong Jaehyun, 26"

:Your last names are both Jeong?

The two of you chuckle, not the first time hearing this question "Mhm, but we're not related in any way. Don't worry" Jaehyun says

: So what are you to each other?

"I'm his girlfriend" you smile, so does Jaehyun.

"I'm her boyfriend"

: How long have the two of you been together?

"5 years"

"7 years"

The two of you answer differently, making you turn to look at each other. "That doesn't count" you tell him but Jaehyun shakes his head

"It does, it's been 7 years baby" he says

"We were on a break" you remind him, he gives you the stare so you turn to look at the camera again to change your answer

"We've been together for 7 years"

The person behind the camera chuckles

: You said you were on a break, what happened then?

"We kind of broke up for over a year, life happened and things got hectic. We decided mutually to end it" you explained

: How did the two of you got back together?

This time Jaehyun answers, recalling the memory

"We have the same circle of friends so we still saw each other sometimes, but this one time we went to dinner and we started talking again. It felt right. I realized how much I missed her and I wanted to give us another chance so I pursued her again" he looks over at you

"He saw flowers outside the restaurant and bought it, he gave it to me and now we're here. We haven't been apart since then" you finish

: How did the two of you meet?

"We met way back in middle school, he was one of the popular guys. All the girls in our grade had a crush on his and would give him their valentine favors. I really didn't think I had a chance" you chuckled, feeling your boyfriend's gaze on the side of your face

"I always get so many chocolates and valentines letter in my locker, but one year I got a whole cake with a small note greeting me a happy birthday" Jaehyun says

"That was me" you say with a big smile. You feel Jaehyun's hand take yours, then he kisses the back of your hand.

: Who liked who first?"

"I guess I did. I wasn't immune to his charms back then. I didn't expect he would notice me too"

"What do you mean? I knew who you were. I was the one who confessed first"

"Yeah because your ears would always turn red when we talked, you got busted" you tease him, giving his ear a playful tug

: What's one thing you love about your significant other?

Jaehyun answers first with no hesitation, "I love how she lets me be me. I feel the most complete with her. We broke up before so we can both learn and grow more, and we did. But me with her is the best version of me I can be"

You listen to his words, feeling all the emotions. Smiling at your boy before turning back to the camera

"I love his jokes" you hear him laugh from beside you

"Not everyone will get it. You can tell the exact moment he makes a joke in his head before he says it out loud, half of the time it's not even that funny but to me it always is. I just love his humor, I guess"

"I think you just love me a lot" he tells you, you roll your eyes at him

: Who said I love you first?

"He did, but technically I did. He said I said it in my sleep but he never told me about it until after a few years. But he's the one who said with both of us conscious" you chuckle

"She was so tired that day, we went back to my place and was just cuddling on my bed. I asked her if she was tired and wanted to sleep, she tucked herself on my side telling me to wake her up in an hour then she suddenly mumbled I love you. I thought I was hallucinating but I couldn't stop smiling after that. I said I love you to her not long after that, on the same bed while we were cuddling"

"Just cuddling" you clarified, earning a laugh from the staff

: Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

"Honestly, settled down with a family of my own"

"Of our own, baby" Jaehyun interrupts you, fighting the smile off of your face

"Settled down with a family of our own. I want to have kids, I love babies so it's definitely something I look forward to in the future"

Jaehyun listens to you, in his head he's already naming your two kids. He can't stop the smile on his face

"How about you, love?" you ask him, breaking him out if his thoughts

"Married to you, with two kids. I'm actually thinking of their names right now"

"Shut up" you laugh out loud, hitting him playfully on the arm

: What would you say is the secret to a long lasting relationship like yours?

"The truth is, it's not always smooth sailing. You will have fights, disagreements and arguments somewhere along the way and that's okay. That means the two of you are learning, growing up together. What's important is learning how to resolve it together, listen to each other and understand each other's side" you answer

Jaehyun nods in agreement.

"Be your partner's friend. It's important to tell them when something's not right, when something upsets you, when something bothers you. You don't always have to coddle them, appease them. Be each other's voice of reason. Of course always love and respect each othe" he says

: Okay, that's all. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your story with us, Mr. and Ms. Jeong. Anything else you want to say?

You shake your head, "Thank you everyone for your hardwork, thanks for having us" you say, then you look over at your boyfriend.

It was quick but you caught the cheeky smile on his face, and it meant one thing.

"Oh gosh he's about say something either really cheesy or really corny, just wait" you tell the staff and the camera

"Thanks everyone for having us, next time when we come back we'll be Mr. and Mrs. Jeong" he says with a big smile

"Okay see, I knew he was going to say something. That's it, valentine boy we're done here. Thank you!"

AND CUT

[madamhatter]

there’s a folded note stuck to the gate (door) to the hat cave. upon retrieval, it reads: “if you believe it! naruto! naruto! believe it! belieeeeeeeeeeeve it! yeah here i am with my ninja clan. ninja clan. here we stand. naruto! i’m on my way. naruto! i’ll be okay. getting ready to fight on sight. my best friends by my side. sasuke - is really cool. sakura - the beautiful” ... why. why is chiaki like this?

A symphony of groans and sighs fill the artisan’s workshop on campus. Such noises belonged to the brunette whose chin rested on top of her workstation, only knowing the comfort and company of mannequin heads and hats. Sourced at her tailbone, was a sharp jab or two that was ever persistent if she sat for too long or positioned herself in such a way that made work all the more cumbersome. ..Which, admittedly, was all the time.  

At the peak of her life and health, her body contorted and moved without worrying about the expanse of how her body would later ache and whine to the limits she reached. Handstands, one arm handstands too, cartwheels, back walkovers, elbow stands --- her youthful and serene moment of life was her committed to the art of flexibility and control over her body. 

Surely, some techniques weren’t much help when being in tussles, or being thrown around, but they certainly easy and fun to do when there wasn’t anything to do in the hat shop. Yet, she was beyond the golden years of her life at the ripe age of 18. It was all gone now, just the remains of a worthless life ahead of her. She sighs, grumbling under her breath.

How incredulous of a conclusion. For God’s sake, I’m only 18-years-old and beyond any form of recovery. Why must my mind spin such thoughts..? Even if it’s right. Experience defines age as much as every time the Earth orbits the sun. 

The hatter covers the back of her head with her arms, gritting her teeth. There wasn’t any point in laying, awaiting death when it wasn’t coming anytime soon. Falling asleep at her station was already impossible as her own flighty, defensive head wouldn’t even let her relax until she was in the confines of her room. 

Sliding off her stool, she slowly raises her arms over her head, hearing every joint in her body cracking. With her right palm. she drives her hand down to her tailbone, rubbing it for better care. She knew the right stretches, but it’d be better to do them in her room in case anyone walked in and gotten the wrong impression...

Pathetic shuffle to the door, a rare hatter emerges from the hat cave, retreating back to the only other place she’d find herself comfortably in. Though, as she opens the door, her eyes immediately spot the note attached to the door. 

Is this a warrant or an eviction notice? 

Sophie gently removes the note, the tape still left behind on the door. Unfolding the paper, she straightens it out between her middle and index fingers pressed together. “Alright, let’s see.” 

Ah, Chiaki. It must be of utter importance if the class representative from the neighboring class wrote it. As well, it must be addressed to me...because who else wastes their life in a workshop beside me? 

Oh, an encouraging letter! Believe in yourself! Believe ‘it.’  That is a strong opening to what this must be. Midterms are coming up, after all, and it can be daunting for all the main course students to prepare for their demonstration.

Na-roo-to. It must be a rallying cry. Na-roo-to! Na-roo-to! Huh. I never encountered this. It must be a local dialect that I have yet to learn. I’ll keep tabs on this.

Ninja...clan...... What a way to refer to your class. It must’ve been something she picked up from Mr. Tanaka’s superfluous speech and mannerisms.

Here we stand. Good, good. Bolster up those around you. Nah-roo-to! Nice, nice. 

......

Sophie draws the paper to her face, nose now picking the page. Squinting harder than she ever could to read the kanji, she pulls the paper back and then closer again -- at a normal distance from her eyes, this time. 

What the hell am I reading?

“This is something....” She murmurs. “Would those be one of these complex online lexicons?” She glances at the paper and looks up. “Where would this have even originated from? Or am I incapable of understanding and appreciating new-age poetry?” Frowning, Sophie wrinkles her nose. 

“Have I been..mehmed...?” The correct pronunciation for that is memed, Sophie.

[bluescluelessly]

Fuck, Marry, Kill

Short, dumb, crackfic based off this post

Summary: the Justice League plays FMK as a team-building exercise. Batman joins them for the first time and finds out a little more than he wanted to about their opinions of certain Billionaires.

_____________________________________

Later that day, Bruce wouldn't be able to say what possessed him to join them.

Usually, he's not really one to play silly team-building downtime games with the other members of the Justice League. He's generally too busy working overtime to manage his double life, family, and make up for his lack of powers to stay ahead of the other Heroes and maintain his place as their leader and strategist.

Maybe he felt he needed a break, maybe he just wasn't looking forward to going home and dealing with Jason's teen angst right away.

Whatever the reason, when Superman politely invited him to join them as he always does, he didn't turn it down for once.

The other league members are varying degrees of surprised and excited when he shrugs, says "sure, why not," and takes a seat at one of the chairs on the edge of the group's mostly-circular formation.

Flash breaks the news to him first: "we're playing Fuck Marry Kill, do you know how it works, bats?"

He almost rolls his eyes. "Yes, I was a teenager too, once."

The dry statement draws some laughter from Diana and Clark, and the group eases up.

"Let's get back to it, then," Lantern claps, grinning. "New round?"

There's a general consensus of agreement, and the green-clad hero claps again. "Great, let's do billionaires; Bezos, Luthor, or Wayne."

"Hell yeah," Flash cheers, "I got this one, easy. Kill Luthor, obviously. Marry Bezos for the money, But I'm definitely cucking him for hotboi heartthrob Wayne, I mean, is there any other option?"

"Of course!" Aquaman is quick to interject, looking almost offended. "Wayne deserves better than being a mistress. He's kind, he's a family man, he donates so much to charity and does so much to help his city... I'd Marry him before any other!"

Bruce can't have heard that right. His brain is stalling in a way it hasn't since... well, maybe the last time one of his kids got into serious trouble. Probably not since Jason crashed the batmobile and broke an arm.

Why are they so sure about this? He's pretty sure he never played a game of FMK that had answers given with such little hesitation. Aren't they supposed to be embarrassed? At least a little bit?

He sure is, and he hasn't even gone yet. He's just glad that his cowl covers most of his face, because he's sure he looks more than a little red-cheeked and dumbstruck right now.

Definitely not what he was expecting.

Superman sighs, shaking his head. "This again?"

Oh good, a voice of reason.

"You two argue over this every time," the kryptonian continues. "We get it, everyone here is horny for Bruce Wayne."

Nevermind.

"Yeah, but we don't know Batman's opinion on his resident billionaire yet," Flash argues, "it's a rite of passage, I gotta know."

It takes a second before Bruce realizes that the speedster is looking at him expectantly. He blinks, rushes to collect himself, and speaks in an admirably even tone. "I gotta think about it."

"Aw, alright," Flash pouts, sitting back down. "You can go last then. Since you're new and all."

This time, Bruce does roll his eyes.

He's tempted to just pretend he got a message and needs to leave so he doesn't have to hear all this, but he knows Superman will call him out on it. And, well.

He is a little morbidly curious.

So he stays, and listens.

Bruce is fully aware that he's a celebrity, and that he's featured regularly in magazines. He knows he's attractive, and he knows that many people speculate about whether he'll find a partner soon, as a wealthy, handsome, very eligible bachelor.

However, it's an entirely different thing to know all that, and then to hear his fellow Justice League Members casually discuss exactly how much they want a piece of his ass.

He learns that Clark wants to fuck him to Kansas and back (and wants to kill bozos and Marry Lex, because he "can fix him", or so he says.)

Aquaman wants to marry him and make love to him in ways Bruce hadn't even conceived of before. (He chose to kill Lex and fuck Bezos, and didn't give even a tenth of the explanationfor either that he gave for his choice to marry Bruce.)

Flash waxes more poetic about Bruce's ass, regularly interrupting others and being tolerated for it because apparently most of the grouo agrees.

Diana chooses to marry him, fuck Lex, and kill Bezos. She doesn't elaborate, thankfully.

Lantern is in full agreement with Flash, which is perhaps the only time Bruce has ever witnessed them go back and forth on something without bickering the whole while.

Martian Manhunter, like Diana, doesn't seem inclined to elaborate as he says he would Fuck Wayne, Marry Bezos, and Kill Lex.

This continues for far longer than Bruce is really comfortable with before it gets back around to his turn. Yet, he's just about glued to his seat, unable to tear himself away from such a surreal experience.

When Superman finally turns back to him expectantly, after everyone else has said their piece, he still isn't quite sure what to do.

"Alright, Batman. Your turn, you've had plenty of time to think."

He almost laughs.

After a long moment of hesitation, he decides... fuck it. He knows everyone else's secret identities. It's only fair.

And really, he can't think of a better time for it than right now.

"I guess I'd Fuck Lex, Marry Bezos, and then Kill myself."

Flash groans. "That's not how the game works, Bats."

This time, he does let out a small, hysterical snort. "I'm pretty sure it is," he disagrees, then pulls his mask back and off his head.

At least one person screams, and it vaguely sounds like "Nofuckingway!"

Someone else just faints on the spot.

Superman just lets out a quiet "Oh no."

Aquaman's face has turned a shade of red that Bruce didn't know he was capable of.

He's sure his own face isn't really any better.

He coughs. "Anyways," he stands, pulling his cowl back up. "Maybe I should leave these games to the rest of you. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of this. Now, goodnight, I have to go make sure my kids eat something."

Then he turns, leaves, and doesn't look back.

---

Later that evening he enters his estate and is immediately greeted by Dick, apparently visiting from his own apartment. His first adoptive son is usually unannounced nowadays, but always welcome.

He must instantly sense that Bruce's mood is off, because he skips right past asking how his mission went.

"What happened?"

Bruce debates the merits of answering honestly. He doesn't really like hiding things from his family, but also he hasn't quite sorted out how to feel about this, and it's not his kids' job to play therapist for him.

Still, Dick doesn't like to be treated like a kid, so Bruce opts to give him a truthful, if vague answer. "I think I might need to have the Justice League take Sexual Harrasment training."

The younger vigilante's eyes go wide. "What? But they're heroes? I've only ever seen them be respectful to Wonder Woman and Canary. Starfire's never said anything to me either, and I know she's worked with a bunch of them."

Bruce shakes his head, "do you really want to know, Dick? Or do you want to go have dinner in peace?"

"I have to know, now."

"I warned you," he sighs. "They were playing Fuck Marry Kill. With Lex, Bezos, and Me. Or well, Bruce Wayne. Not one of them chose to kill me, and they went into... more detail than I'm comfortable with telling you about."

There's a beat of silence.

Then, Dick starts laughing. Hard.

Bruce scowls, waiting it out.

"... are you done?"

"Oh come on, you expect me to find out that the whole Justice League wants to fuck or Marry you and I'm not supposed to think it's hilarious?"

"It wasn't that funny," Bruce sighs, but can't help a smile tugging at his lips. It is pretty ridiculous, in hindsight.

Dick just snorts again. "You don't think anything funny, Bruce." He pauses, "but I mean, if you're really upset about it, I'll cut it out."

Bruce shakes his head. "I don't think I am. Just thrown off. I wasn't expecting any of that, but they couldn't have known my identity." He pauses. "I'm mostly wondering if I made a mistake by telling them."

"You *told* them?!"

"In hindsight, maybe it wasn't my most well-thought out decision. But," Bruce lets a smile creep onto his face, "you should have seen the looks on their faces."

"I'll bet," Dick whistles. "So can I tell Starfire who I am now?"

"That's up to you," Bruce starts to answer, then stops talking as he hears the telltale whoosh of Superman's flight as the kryptonian sails out of the sky and lands by them.

Wonderful. Superman paying Bruce Wayne a visit definitely isn't going to cause him a media headache later.

"Batm-- uh, Bruce. Mr Wayne?" The superhero greets him, obviously still wrong-footed from earlier.

"Just Bruce is fine," he answers evenly.

"I'm Dick," his adopted son/mentee greets cheerfully. "What should I call you? Supes? Or are you aiming for step-dad?"

The way Clark's face turns beet red and he rubs the back of his neck instantly makes Bruce glad he told Dick. What other kid isn't afraid to make fun of the man of steel?

"Uh." Superman stumbles a little over his words. "Actually, I came to apologize about that. I hope you know we didn't have any idea, but that doesn't excuse it anyways. I can't imagine how uncomfortable we made you, Bruce, and I'm sorry."

His sincerity is easily believable, and Bruce wasn't really mad at him to begin with. "Apology unnecessary, but accepted," he starts. "I'm a celebrity, it comes with the territory. Believe me when I say I've seen worse published about me. You're fine, let's just forget it happened."

Clark looks abundantly relieved. "Oh, good. Yeah, you got it. But, just, if there's anything you need, give me a holler, okay? I can be here in a snap."

And then he's gone, as quick as he came.

Bruce has no idea whether the offer of help is out of guilt or his crush, but either way he makes a mental note that Superman is keeping an ear out for him. It'll probably be useful to call in a favor sooner or later.

"Does he know you're Bi?" Dick asks as soon as Superman can no longer be seen on the horizon. "He's way into you."

Bruce shakes his head. "That's enough, Dick. It's time for dinner, I'm starving."

The younger vigilante snickers, but doesn't argue any further as they head into the mansion to join the rest of their family.

All in all, not a terrible day for the Batfam and the Justice League.

[kazewhara]

omg “You’re going to sit on that man’s lap just for a photo?” for childe or diluc

santa's big scene.

❄ winter prompts ❄

# — pairings: diluc, childe x gn!reader

# — characters: gender neutral reader, childe, diluc, scaramouche, signora

# — summary: you don't have to do everything on christmas, you know..

# — warnings: suggestive speech

# — tags: hc/drabble format, modern au, fluff, slightly possessive childe + diluc, smidgen of angst, suggestive speech

# — notes: y'know, i was only gonna do childe at first, but as i was writing the tags, i realized that both of them would have a slightly different approach to this! then again, now that i'm reading it over, for some reason i think i should put it with a different series i have here.. anyways, as always, reactions and reblogs are greatly appreciated, and i hope you enjoy! ❄

❄ wanna join the tag list? ❄

✧ — 𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐜 — ✧

he took you to a mall for christmas with the intent of spoiling you (because really, why wouldn't he?)

it actually took a lot of coaxing on his part to get you to agree to this, because while you liked getting gifts, you didn't want to bleed the man dry

but this is diluc we're talking about. c'mon. not only is he rich, but he's very stubborn

so that's how you two find yourselves at a somewhat upscale mall, looking for a store to start at

it's christmas of course, so there's decorations, music playing, little snack vendors here and there, the works

but most notably, the famed santa whose lap you sit on to take photos with

"oh my god, wait, can you take a picture of me with santa?" you ask, already pushing your phone into a confused diluc's hands. you were just telling him about what you might want to eat for lunch when you suddenly gasped and started fumbling for your phone as you stared at something with a childlike gleam in your eyes. diluc followed your gaze to the santa claus seated a little ways away, with children and adults alike lining up to sit on his lap to take pictures with him.

diluc shakes his head with a tiny smile, endeared by your enthusiasm. he was here to spoil you today, so who was he to refuse? "alright, alright," he agrees, chuckling when you celebrate under your breath. "did you do this kind of thing often when you were young?"

you nod rapidly and diluc can't help but chuckle again. "i loved santa as a kid." you explain. the sparkling of your eyes only grows brighter as the line moves up. "i knew he wasn't really pretty early on, but that didn't make him any less cool to me. it makes christmas really feel like... christmas, y'know?"

diluc hums in understanding. he did the same as a kid, but stopped as soon as kaeya ruined christmas by telling him that santa wasn't real. it didn't ruin the entire holiday for him, but diluc never forgot the immense disappointment he felt that day, nor did he ever let kaeya forget about the time he crushed his spirit.

it was dramatic, yes, but everything is serious in the eyes of a child.

once you two arrive at the front of the line, you hurry over to the mall santa and whisper something in his ear. the santa nods with a quiet laugh and adjusts himself for you to sit on his lap. diluc, who'd been curiously watching the entire interaction, finally speaks up.

"you're... going to sit on that man's lap just for a photo?" diluc winces internally as soon as the words leave his mouth. something unsightly rears its head when he sees you wiggle a bit as you try to get comfortable. mall santa rests his hand on your waist to keep you in place, and diluc really hopes he's not making a weird face right now. he balls his free hand into a fist in his pocket.

he's never been the biggest fan of this feeling. the urge to tug you out of mall santa's lap grows stronger with each passing second, but he does everything in his power to stomp it out when you look thrilled by the fact that you can be in the presence of santa.

"yeah, why? it brings back some fond memories," you reply, your smile never dimming. you clearly don't notice his agitation. of course you didn't; this was about you, not him.

diluc counts to three as quickly as he can and nods without a word. he raises your phone and manages to get about two photos in before he sees mall santa pull you in just a little bit closer. it's just a side hug and you lean into it with no hesitation, but diluc really doesn't think he wants to be here anymore. he takes about two more before closing your phone camera and waving it between his fingers. "all done," he says curtly.

you hop quickly out of mall santa's lap and dart over to view the photos. while you do, diluc keeps his eyes on the santa whose lap you were just sitting on. he's probably glaring at him, now that he's thinking about it. mall santa's eyes don't leave your direction until the next person comes up to him.

he's just doing his job; diluc's not an idiot. but if he's not, then why does he feel so... bitter?

thankfully, you beam up at diluc, distracting him from his sudden drop in mood. "these came out great!" you thank him with a quick kiss to the cheek before taking his hand and starting back in the direction you were heading before you got sidetracked.

as you walk, diluc suddenly tightens grip on your hand, almost to the point where it hurts. you glance at him to see if anything's wrong. at times, he'll do it because he doesn't want to alarm you when he sees something you don't, but looking at him now, you can't find that expression of muted caution on his face. instead, he looks annoyed and pensive.

"diluc, you're squeezing my hand." you wiggle your fingers and frown when diluc lets go with a soft apology. now he looks like he's beating himself up for something. you stop walking and step in front of him. "is everything okay? you look so upset."

diluc visibly grimaces at your concern. you can't see it, but his ears are burning. "it's... nothing." he lies through his teeth. he turns into the worst liar whenever you pressure him. picking up on your suspicion, he looks away. "let's keep going, yeah?"

"diluc.." you warn. "something’s bothering you. we're not going anywhere until you tell me."

"i said it's nothing. can we just--"

you shake your head patiently. "no, we can't. not when you're upset. we're here to enjoy ourselves, not stew in whatever problems we've got. talk."

diluc sighs in defeat. you're being so patient with him, but he can tell that it'll wear thin very soon if he doesn't talk; you've expressed your low tolerance for his habit of becoming tight-lipped whenever it suits him. "it's nothing serious, i promise." he tells you.

you don't say anything, you just raise an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

diluc stifles a laugh. you're cute when you're annoyed. "but," he continues, furrowing his brows and not meeting your eyes, "i will admit, i... kind of wish you hadn't sat on that man's lap." he peeks over at you and makes a face when he sees you starting to look smug. "what are you..?"

"so you were jealous?" you snicker. "of santa claus?

"i feel ridiculous enough as it is, thank you." diluc deadpans. you chortle when you see his cheeks start to redden at your muffled laughter. "stop that. let's just go." he steps around you and starts walking away.

you jog after him, giggling all the while. "of santa claus, diluc? of all people?" you pause to laugh. you catch up to him and grab his hand, swinging it between the two of you slightly.

diluc huffs through his nose. you can finally see his red ears from here. "i'm ignoring you."

"should your lap be the only one i sit on?" you tease. you wheeze when diluc's blush deepens further. you're getting a real kick out of this. "i guess i know what i should get you for christmas now~" you sing-song.

diluc groans and covers his face with his free hand. "taking you outside has to be the worst mistake i've made today. you're insufferable."

you snort and raise his hand to kiss the back of it. "i love you too, diluc."

"...whatever."

✧ — 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞 — ✧

ah.. he would not take this situation as well as diluc

so, you two are at a christmas party

(i can hear you saying "zuzu, why is it always christmas parties?" because it's just practical, okay? i digress)

so. christmas party. people drunk off of eggnog with an obscene amount of rum in it (courtesy of none other than scaramouche)

you're not drunk and neither is childe, you two opted for the non-spiked drinks, unlike the other party goers

you have a friend who isn't drunk either, but he has this terrible habit of not saying no to people, so when some tipsy friends suggest he put on a santa hat and take pictures, he agrees

you and childe are laughing at the whole spectacle when someone suggests that you sit on his lap for a picture

"fine, fine," you concede, not wanting to hear your drunk friends pester you anymore. they can get pretty pushy under the influence, and after being the victim of their drunk demands several times, you've learned to just go along with it -- so long as it's reasonable, anyhow. you turn to your boyfriend and hold out your cup to him. "can you hold this for a second?" you ask.

childe just stares at you. "sorry?" he asks, as though he didn't hear you the first time. he was literally watching you this entire time, why was he acting like this? "what're you about to do?"

you roll your eyes and jerk your thumb in your friend's direction. "i gotta go sit in that loser's lap for some photos, so can you please do me a favor and hold this? he might be an asshole," you raise your voice so your friend can hear you, "and make me spill my stuff."

your friend flips you off and you turn to do the same, the two of you rocking matching grins. you turn back to your boyfriend who doesn't looks remotely as amused as you do.

"so... you're just going to sit on that man's lap for a photo," childe's question is less of a question and more of a dry statement, one of his eyebrows cocking up as he speaks. he huffs and mutters something you can't hear, but holds out his hand anyways.

you eye him suspiciously as you hand him your drink slowly. "okay," you drawl. not wanting to lean into this strange negativity that childe's created for himself, you head over to your friend and plop yourself on his lap.

"gross." your friend wrinkles his nose playfully at you. "you know bitches like you get coal for christmas, right?"

you slap the back of his head, snorting when he looks offended. "you're the worst fucking santa i've ever had. zero stars."

the two of you pose for the many photos and joke with each other the entire time, making newer and stupider poses with each one. after about three photos though, you get the feeling that someone's watching you. it shouldn't be strange, considering you have about four people taking photos and egging you on, but whoever is looking at you is beaming the side of your head -- so much so that you can almost feel the weight of their stare.

you look up when the photos are done to see where that was coming from and lock eyes with none other than childe. his face is blank, but it's still unsettling; his irritation is palpable. rather than approach him and ruin the mood, you look away from your boyfriend and talk to your friends for a while.

you hear retreating footsteps after no more than a few seconds, and you sigh. childe wasn't giving you a choice; you have to confront him if you want to keep having fun, so you start after him, following his bright hair to a secluded corner in the living room. he sits in an armchair and looks up at you.

neither of you speak for a little while; neither of you are proud of this, but each of you sometimes expect the other to read their mind whenever a problem arises. you're the first to pick up on it, grimacing slightly when you realize what you were doing.

"alright, party pooper," you cross your arms, "what suddenly crawled up your ass and died?"

childe's mouth twitches as he supresses the urge to laugh. he covers it up as fast as he can, but it's not fast enough; you saw that. you huff a soft chuckle through your nose as your boyfriend does his best to look annoyed again.

"you're done asking santa what you want for christmas?" he asks crossly, setting your drinks down on the floor beside the chair. "or was he asking you for something?"

you scoff out loud. "don't tell me you were jealous of that." you nip the situation in the bud as quickly as you can. knowing childe, he'd try to drag this out as long as he could with vague statements and backhanded compliments, but you're not that stupid, nor are you in the mood.

childe narrows his eyes. "i didn't realize it was so wrong to be bothered about the fact that my partner was in some other man's lap."

"you can be bothered," you agree, "but there's really no need to bring down everyone else with you when you're upset." you sigh. "you could've just... i dunno, told me in private? not do this weird sulking thing."

your boyfriend looks comically offended. "i don't sulk." he sighs and reaches out, pulling you down onto his lap without warning.

"you weren't even gonna give me a choice, were you?" you ask when you recover from your temporary shock. you wrap your arms around his neck on instinct and relax when you feel his arms tighten around your waist.

childe presses his nose against your cheek, making you shiver. "something tells me you weren't going to come if i asked." he murmurs. "but this is private enough, isn't it?"

you snort. "hardly. there's people everywhere--"

"i didn't like seeing you sit on your friend's lap," he cuts you off, kissing from your cheek down to your neck, "and i would much prefer it if you sat on mine. is that better?"

maybe you should've just waited to talk about this at home. you feel heat creep up your neck. "sorta? stop doing that, we're in public."

"that didn't seem to bother you and your friend much." childe bites at your neck harshly, chuckling when you reel back and put your hand over the area.

"the fuck was that for?!" you hiss. "biting me? seriously? what are you, a dog?"

your boyfriend looks satisfied, the expression only getting brighter when you move your hand. "i'd consider us even now." he goes back to burying his face in your neck, not budging when you try to push him away. you give up after a brief struggle and slump against him despite yourself. "see, was that so hard?"

"i hate you." you grumble.

"you can't hate me, it's christmas." childe whines. he pulls back to look at you, giving you his best wounded expression.

it's... hard to stay upset when he does things like this. it's hard to stay upset with him in general, actually. you kiss him quickly, rolling your eyes when he calls you mean for not giving him more. "that was your christmas gift," you shrug. "take it or leave it."

"there's more at home, isn't there?"

you flush. "...maybe."

"then, merry christmas to me."

✧ i do hope this was okay! i hope the end in particular is good.. oh boy,,

[allegra-writes]

"Lights Up" part I

Peter Parker x SHIELD Agent!Reader

NSFW

Warnings: And there was only one bed!!

Peter must deal with the aftermath of what Mysterio did, but he's not alone: Nick Fury and Pepper Stark have a plan, one that includes you, Peter and the tropical desert island of Eroda.

Series Masterlist

His lungs were on fire, his legs burning with the strain, he didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to go on. The sharp pain piercing his side was disconcerting, he used to be familiar with it, he remembered as much, but he hadn't felt it in years, not since the spider bite. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had gotten so much as winded just from running, but he had been at it for hours now, ever since he had ditched MJ and his suit in that dingy alley in hopes of Peter Parker being a little more inconspicuous than Spider-Man. 

But by then, everyone in the city knew his face, and in the age of the internet and smartphones all it took was one single snap, one tweet, one livestream, to find himself surrounded by an angry mob, screaming for his blood, like something out of an old horror movie. All they were missing were the pitchforks and torches. There was nowhere to hide. 

So he ran. 

And he kept on running, but even he couldn't run forever. At least not without eating anything, the calorie deficiency starting to take a toll on his super-metabolism, causing him to become dizzy, his reflexes slower. 

That was probably why he didn't realize his mistake until it was too late, until he reached the intersection and found himself surrounded: He had been ambushed, led like a lamb to the slaughter. He came to a halt, turning around, looking in vain for a way out, but the circle they had arranged around him was a tight formation, he was either going to have to fight his way out or shoot a web and swing away and he could kiss goodbye any chance left at keeping his identity secret after that…

"Looks like we caught ourselves a spider, guys!"

"Not so brave now, eh boy?"

Peter cursed internally. There was no other way, falling into stance, he braced himself for the fight. But before he could make a move, he saw it. A car, a rather distinctive one, heading straight their way, and it wasn't slowing down. If anything, it seemed to speed up the closer it got to the crowd, forcing people -including Peter- to jump out of the way to avoid being run over. 

"Get in!" 

He didn't need to be told twice, jumping into the passenger seat, the car speeding away before he even got to close the door completely. You stole a glance at him. He looked tired, maybe a little pale, but uninjured. You sighed in relief. He was there, you had gotten to him on time. He was safe.

Safe and openly gawking at you.

"Y- y/n?" 

You flinched,

"Yeah, not my real name" You took your eyes off the road to give him an apologetic look, "Sorry 'bout that"

"Then who are you?" His voice was steel. So much for being grateful for saving his ass, then…

"I'm agent 16 of S.H.I.E.L.D's Special Service. I was assigned to protect you" You threw him a side-glance, "and a little 'thank you' would be nice"

Well, that explained the uniform and you driving Item 20-25. God, he was so stupid! Of course you were a spy, why else would a girl like you even give him the time of day? The pretty girls at his school weren't nice, not to him at least. But now it all made sense, down to the very first time he saw you, beaming at him as Mr. Warren pointed at the empty seat beside him. All the times your hands brushed in class, fingers lingering on test tubes and books a couple of seconds longer than necessary. All those little touches, all the secret looks when you thought he wasn't watching, it was probably all part of your mission. Probably just to get close to him, to gain his trust. After all, you had demonstrated you weren't truly interested in him when you turned down his invitation to prom. 

He had cried afterwards. Not much, not like at Ben's funeral, or when Mister Stark… No, definitely not like that, but he had shed a couple of tears that night. 

He had lost sleep and appetite over you. Lost hours daydreaming about you, about the fruity smell of your hair, wondering what your strawberry lipstick would taste like. But the truth was, after all this time, after all that staring, all that pinning he didn't know anything about you, did he? Not even...

"Can you tell me your real name?"

"You don't have the clearance for that"

You replied, turning to face him. And maybe he ought to fasten that seat belt after all, or shut up and stop distracting you from the road, cause you were still going too damn fast and breaking all traffic laws known to mankind. Mr Dell's shocked, appalled face after your driving test flashed through his mind.

"Spider-Man has a level 6 clearance" he protested.

"You need a level 9. At least." 

"I thought 9 was the highest level" Gods, his frown was adorable.

You just smirked and made another turn, driving through an entrance and a ramp that hadn't been there a second ago. 

"We're here" You announced, killing the engine. Peter didn't move.

"Where exactly is 'here'?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D's Manhattan headquarters"

You got out of the car, rounding to his side and pulling his door open, then closing it once he had gotten out. The gentleman in him protested it should be the other way around, he should be the one opening doors for you and helping you out of cars. It was absurd, of course. There, with you in that black catsuit, thigh holsters on both your legs, walking like you owned the place there was no mistaking it: You weren't y/n, his school crush; you were a highly trained special agent, escorting him through the premises.

… Pretty familiar premises, actually. 

"Avengers Tower? S.H.I.E.L.D bought Avengers Tower?"

"It was a donation, actually" you explained as the elevator's doors opened to the Stark Memorial Garden, an open garden as majestic as it was massive, located right in the heart of the building.

"A donation? But wh-"

"Peter! Oh thank god!" A relieved voice and the clicking of hills on the stone path interrupted him.

"Mrs. Stark?" Peter let himself be crushed into Pepper's chest, closing his eyes, the tears he hadn't known he was holding back starting to fall as soon as he felt safe in her embrace.  

If Tony Stark had been like a father to him, Pepper Potts-Stark was a mother trough and trough. She had tried to step into her husband's role of a mentor for Peter, knowing fully well she couldn't ever replace him or occupy his place; but she would be damned if she allowed that giant Tony shaped hole on that boy's life to go unattended, to bleed out or fester. The kid had already lost so much, almost every parent figure he had ever had. And she knew what that kind of loss could do to precocious boys with too big hearts, had seen it first hand with Tony. 

"Mrs. Stark I'm so- I'm so sorry"

"Shhh" She said soothingly, "It's not your fault. You're going to be ok, I promise. We'll figure it out" Pepper sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as him. 

"Pete! Six!" 

Peter broke the hug just in time to see a little dark haired meteor jump into your arms. He watched, stunned, as Morgan clung to you. He knew once upon a time she had been an outgoing, confident child but ever since her father's death she had grown timid. She didn't open up easily to strangers, Peter being a rare exception, and even that had been solely because of the stories Tony used to tell her about her 'super big brother' adventures. She had developed a sort of hero worship for Peter that only rivaled the one she felt for her father. For her to be so friendly towards you had to mean you had spent a considerable amount of time together, and Peter remembered the tales you used to tell in class about the adorable little girl you babysat sometimes. 

"You did it! You found him!"

You smiled at her.

"Told you I would, Morgs. And I always keep my word" He watched you squeeze her again in your arms, he could tell you cared about the kid, probably even missed her while you and him were in Europe. But the sweet reunion was short lived, as soon another voice, more stern, resonated through the garden.

"In our line of work, I'm not sure that can be considered a good thing"

You gasped in mock trepidation, making Morgan giggle and Peter smile despite himself.

"Uh-oh! We've been caught!" You passed the still laughing kid to Peter and stood straighter, trying to sober up. Peter could see the corners of your mouth twitch as you greeted, "Director" 

He gave you a nod,

"Agent. Parker, Mrs. Stark. Good, now that everybody's here, we can get a move on"

Without waiting for a reply, Nicholas Fury started walking again, leaving everyone to scramble to follow.

"I know this seems like the end of the world, Mr. Parker, and I'll admit the situation isn't ideal," the intimidating man punched a code into a hidden panel and another elevator opened. "but our main priority right now is your safety. We'll treat this like any other blown cover, following the same protocols we follow when any of our agent's identity is compromised: Immediate extraction and relocation of the agent into a safe house, with an armed escort for protection, of course" He explained as everybody climbed in.

"You're sending me away with a bodyguard?" Peter sounded less than pleased and you couldn't help the pang of sympathy. You didn't like to be pulled off the field either.

"I understand how that could be uncomfortable for you," it didn't sound like he particularly cared, though, "so perhaps it would be less unpleasant with an element you're already familiar with. Agent 16 here is going to be your companion"

"What does that means, Six?" Morgan turned to you, still perched onto Peter's torso, like a baby koala.

"It means I'm going to babysit your brother instead of you, for a while���" You threw the brunet boy a wink and his protests about not needing babysitting died on his lips. It didn't sound so bad, actually. Being cooped up with you in some secret location for an indeterminate amount of time.

"How long would we be gone?" 

"As long as it takes for the director and me to fix this" Pepper spoke with the authority only her seemed to possess, the one that could reing in crazy geniuses dash heroes and master spies alike. Fury could only nod in compliance.  

"What about May?"

"She's with Happy, already on her way to the lake house" 

Peter still looked unsure, but Pepper smiled, eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint surprisingly similar to the one her husband used to have.

"Don't worry, Peter. You'll love the safe house. I know Tony and I did…"

…

Leaving Morgan at the launch bay had been the hardest part. Her tears soaking Peter's t-shirt as Pepper tried to pry the fabric out of her little hands, were enough to break his heart. She didn't want to let her big brother go, probably terrified he wouldn't come back, just like her father. Far too perceptive for a six year old kid, she understood Peter was in trouble, in danger, and she was scared.

Peter was scared too. 

How could he not? He might be naive but he wasn't stupid, he knew that no matter the outcome of whatever plan Mrs. Stark and Fury came out with, his life as he knew it was over. 

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry" Your earnest voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts, "For lying to you, for what Beck did, for everything."

Peter stared at your profile, something he seemed to be doing a lot that day. Who was he trying to kid, he did a lot of that everyday. It actually seemed to be the only normal thing that remained, the one thing that seemed to stay constant as the world shifted and changed around him. He should be mad at you, he knew that. He should feel betrayed, hurt, and he did, a little but it was hard to stay angry at you. Even when you were partnered at school and you failed to do your part in the projects, he used to have trouble not forgiving you the second you flashed those doe eyes at him. 

He sighed,

"It's not your fault, any of it. About the lying, you were only doing your job" It wasn't your fault that he had been dumb enough to fall in love with a girl that didn't even exist. "And as for Quentin… that definitely wasn't your fault"

"My job was to protect you. If I had done it right, none of this would have happened" there was a slight catch in your voice "I should have realized he was a fraud, I should have told Nick as soon as I started having doubts about the guy, I should have stopped him before he stole E.D.I.T.H; I should have-" You turned away, pretending to get engrossed in the navigation controls of the Quinjet.

"I should have found that video and stopped it from reaching the news" You finished, voice finally under control, but still not meeting Peter's eyes.

"I was the one that literally handed E.D.I.T.H to him" You felt his hand cover yours over a lever, and looked at him in surprise. He found your eyes, a soft look in his that made your insides fill with butterflies, "He tricked me too. Do you blame me for that?"

"What? No, of course not!" 

Your indignation on his behalf warmed his chest.

"Then why blame yourself for the same thing?" 

He had a point. Luckily, you were saved from having to answer him by a blip in your instruments.

"Looks like we're here" You commented instead, initiating landing maneuvers. 

"Where is here, exactly?" He peered out of the windscreen, into the darkness of the night, trying to get a look. And who knew, with his super senses maybe he could. 

"Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. An island, apparently, a very isolated one..."

"So you've never been here before either?"

"No, this isn't one of S.H.I.E.L.D's safe houses. This one is Mrs. Stark's" 

"Oh" Peter smiled for the first time since leaving NYC, "It must be really cool then"

"Yeah, I imagine it is" You smiled back

The house was not how you imagined Tony Stark's safe house would be like. For starters, the wooden construction wasn't even a house, a bungalow would have been a more appropriate title. The one-room little shack stood semi hidden by palm trees on the beach, and you knew the island was probably beautiful, but you couldn't see much in the moonless night.

Inside there wasn't much to see either, just a queen sized bed, a cupboard with a chest of drawers and a recliner by one of the windows. Ever the gentleman, Peter had offered to take the recliner, but you had rolled your eyes and pointed out the bed was big enough for the both of you. 

"I don't know why we're so surprised" Peter's voice reached you through the bathroom door, where he was changing into his pjs, "I mean, we've seen the Lake House and, sure, it's very luxurious for a cabin but that's what it is: a cabin"

"Maybe" You replied, flopping on the bed. At least it was comfy "but they have FRIDAY over there. Here we barely even have electricity"

Peter stopped in his tracks as soon as he walked into the room, and you pretended not to notice the way his eyes lingered on your exposed legs, your tiny cotton sleeping shorts not covering much at all.

"It's just, I can't possibly believe Tony Stark didn't installed any defense system on his safe house. I mean, you knew the man better than I did, but doesn't it strike you as a little… odd?"

"Huh? Ye-yeah, I mean, I…" You could see his cheeks turn red. God, he was adorable.

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you coming to bed?"

He choked on his own spit, and you had to suppress a giggle. Maybe, just maybe, he truly did forgive you for lying to him. Maybe you still had a chance.

…

Peter couldn't sleep. He could feel the heat coming off your skin through the small distance separating your bodies, your perfume invading his nostrils with every breath. Being so close to you in the dark was torture and yet he couldn't bring himself to get up and go to the chair on the other side of the room. He was pinned to the bed, mesmerized by your sleeping profile, enthralled by the way your chest rose and fell with every deep, steady breath. Irrevocably and inescapably drawn to you like a moth to a flame, too scared to move, too afraid to disturb your dream.

Because it appeared to be a very good dream. He could see the blush spreading from your face to your neck, all the way down to where the neckline of your tank top obscured his view. He could hear your breathing starting to quicken, feel the temperature of your skin rise. He could smell you, sweet and enticing. Beckoning. 

Your lips parted, letting out the most captivating little sigh in the history of mankind, and his eyes zeroed in the movement, his tongue darting out to wet his own. 

Peter felt his blood rushing south and was disgusted by himself, he felt like a creep. What kind of psycho got off of watching a girl sleep? Yet he couldn't bring his eyes to avert their gaze. 

He needed to get out of there, give you some semblance of privacy, as your hips started to twitch minutely, seeking a friction they wouldn't find. You let out a soft whine and he screwed his eyes shut. 'Come on Parker, get a grip on yourself' he thought, trying to gather enough strength to pry himself from the bed, to pry himself from your side. He was about to, he truly was, when it happened. 

You rolled over, half trapping him under your body. And it wouldn't have been hard for him to escape if he wanted to. But he really really didn't want to. The voice inside his head telling him it was wrong was growing weaker and weaker with every pretty noise leaving your mouth. Your hot breath was searing against the skin of his chest and he both cursed and blessed the instant he decided to forego wearing a t-shirt to bed in the sultry island heat. 

"Peter" You murmured in your sleep and his heart stopped. You were dreaming about him. You were panting and burning up for him, and he knew it didn't necessarily mean anything and dreams were not real life, but your legs fell open, one knee on either side of one of his, and he could actually feel your warm wetness through the thin fabric of your sleeping shorts and his threadbare plaid pajama pants and fuck!

Whatever last trace of logic might remained in his brain flew out the window as you started rubbing yourself on his thigh, finally finding the friction you so desperately needed. His hand went to your waist to stop you, but it ended up aiding you instead, sliding to your lower back, pressing down and releasing rhythmically, rocking you against his leg harder. 

He glared at the traitorous appendage, but how could he reproach it it's betrayal, when you were moaning so sweetly? He wanted to commit those sounds to his memory, to tattoo them on his brain to play over every night when he'd found himself alone on his cold bed, one hand around his length and the other over his mouth to stop himself from yelling your name at the ceiling, as he had so many times before. 

You breathed out his name again, and his free hand went to his pelvis, of its own volition. He palmed himself over his pants, but that's as far as he would let himself go. He refused to be the guy who jerked himself off next to an unconscious girl. 

A new wave of moisture left your core, soaking his skin through the fabrics. 

"Fuck!" He cursed softly, head hitting the tall headboard as he threw it back.

"Peter?" 

He froze. No. Oh god, please no...

To be continued...

[colemacgrathtkz]

Ah, memories

Disclaimer: I went past the character limit. This one might be hard to read due to formatting.

Previous. Next

[Human realm, three weeks BBI]

Luz crouched close to her task. Eda's lesson really came in handy. Picking a door lock, she never thought she'd be so grateful for an unmodern store. Standing by her side, only perceivable to her, the empress stood watching her progress.

Empress Luz: "I know you want to say it, just say it. What do you want?"

Since they came back, Luz's glyphs hadn't worked once. At first, she thought magic didn't exist here. But if that's the case, why was her angry counterpart still stuck to her.

Luz: "How come you're still here? I mean, my dream of being a witch is dead on this side, right?"

Empress Luz: "Ok, let me put this in terms you can understand. Congratulations, chica, you're an astronaut. Let's think of the Boiling Isles as earth and magic is the air we breathe. This side is the moon. On the Boiling Isles, magic is everywhere. Here, looks like we're S.O.L."

Luz: "So, you're what?"

Empress: "Holding my breath for you... to finish the job."

The tumblers finally obeyed the thief working on the outside. Luz didn't have much aside from some old clothes from home and the Empress' outerwear. The store inside should have some cash and new stuff to try on. She needed to avoid being recognized. Also, she kept getting glares when she entered stores during the day.

Luz: "Does that mean, if I wait long enough, you'll die?"

An note of optimism was detected.

Empress Luz: " You should be so lucky. No, I don't think so. I'm the only magic you brought over. So, WE'RE holding our breath."

The cash register was the first task they needed done. Emptying the register, they now browsed their options.

The place didn't look like anything exceptional. But one jacket caught Luz's eye. She put it on and felt... something.

Luz: "What do you think?"

Empress: "A little big, don't you think? And do you really like the color green that much?"

They both realized what this jacket was to her. For whatever reason, this jacket made Luz miss the others less. Almost like a sort of comfort cloth.

Man: "Who's there?!"

A flashlight broke through the dark and nearly blinded Luz. She dove for any cover that would keep her out of sight, bumping into something.

Empress Luz: " What are doing?! Let me tak..."

Almost like hitting the mute button, something landed on Luz's head. In that instant, she noticed her partner disappeared. She raced out the door and as far away as she could get. Once she was clear, she examined the hat on her head.

Empress Luz: "Stop ignoring me!"

The instant she took off the beanie, her partner reappeared in front of her.

Now there was some magic.

It would be another three weeks before she'd make it back to Bonesborough. But they were clearly on the right track.

[Present day, Blight manor]

Amity stirred awake in her old bed. She felt like she'd dreamed about something important.

The first thing she noticed was her old room, not remembering how she got there.

Luz: "No, wait, you can't!"

Her girlfriend's voice echoed from somewhere in the manor. She bolted out of bed and ran out to find the source.

Willow: "It's only fair. After all you put us through, this is the least you can do."

Gus: "I wouldn't call myself a 'vengeful guy'. But I do want to see this."

Amity practically jumped the stairway to see what was going on. Luz sat, tied up by vines, while her friends stood around her. Willow had a pair of memory tweezers while Gus held a memory print.

Amity: "What're you doing?"

Willow: "Luz wants to make amends. This is it."

Gus: "But you should be here, too. Take a look at this."

Snickering, he handed Amity the prize in his hand.

Luz: "No, come on, give me a break."

Willow: "If we wanted to settle things, once and for all, we could go fishing in her memories. That's what she said."

Gus: "We didn't find anything nefarious. But we did snag these nice beauties."

Scratch that, he handed her the prizes in his hand.

A few memories of Nevareth Bladestrife, teen Prince of Angstmore. Amity didn't say a word as she examined the recollections in her hand.

Luz: "Ames? You ok, linda?"

Amity: "So, who's this?"

Luz( visibly nervous): "No one, really. He's not even real."

Amity: "You sure? It looks like you think about him a lot. You had an imaginary boyfriend?"

Luz: "He's just... not even worth mentioning. I mean, he's got nothing on you, Ami."

Unfortunately, Amity flipped the print to reveal a small note written in ( what looked like) Luz's handwriting.

Goodbye, flawless pecs

Amity stared Luz down with one of the most menacing glares she'd ever seen.

Amity: " Well, if you say so, then it's fine. If he's not worth mentioning, he's not worth remembering, right?"

She lit a small fire in her other hand and dangled the pictures over it.

Luz: "Wait! You don't want to do that."

Amity: "Why not? You want to make amends, right?"

Luz: "Right! Let me out of this chair and I'll tell you all the truth."

Willow and Gus stopped snickering amongst themselves. Luz's proposal seemed like something worth seeing. Her friend undid the vines and let Noceda take a step forward.

Luz: "The truth is..."

In a swift moment, she surprised Amity with a kiss. Stunning her girlfriend, she swiped the memories back and placed one arm around her.

Luz: " We're official! Amity and I are dating. There's no reason to bother with these. So, I'll just take them back and we don't have to talk about him ever again. Agreed?"

Luz would later understand the wrath of a Blight, later. For now, she pocketed the memories.

Gus: "Wait, when did you figure it out?"

Luz: "Well, last night...wait, what do you mean by that?"

Her two best friends looked at each other, awkwardly.

Willow: "It just seems like... you were the last to know."

Luz: "...."

Gus: "You kind of already acted like a couple. I mean, when did you find out she liked you?"

Luz: "Right after..."

Her pause might have made anime fans proud.

Luz: "Point is, we're both where we want to be. Right, Ami?"

Amity: "When did you start calling me that?"

Luz: "Last niiiiiiiiiight."

Last night? Last night was a blur. She remembered grudgby and dancing but that was it. She didn't even recall how she got back last night.

Gus: "Um, speaking of last night, are you just getting out of bed? It's past noon."

Looking down at herself, she was wearing an orange and white striped pajama top with purple pants.

Amity shot a death glare at the last person she remembered being with.

Luz: "I swear, I didn't do anything weird! You were really tuckered out. I carried you home and that's it, I swear!"

She redirected her wrath to the others.

Amity: "Don't you all have somewhere to be?"

Gus: "Not really."

Luz: "You told me to quit my job."

Willow: "My boss didn't come in this morning."

Amity: "Get out!"

Just as they were leaving, Luz sheepishly tried to be cute.

Luz: "So.....stripes?"

And with that, Willow had to pry her boss off while Gus pulled Luz to safety.

[Last night, Hexside's gymnasium]

Luz: "I think I want to tell you where the staff is."

Taking a step back, Amity knew she was being sincere.

Amity: "Where is it?"

Luz: "With you, carino."

Not realizing what she meant, Luz poked her forehead.

Luz: "In here, with the witch I trust the most."

Amity had mixed feelings about this.

Amity: "No, you need someone to cast that spell on you. Who pulled you out? When did you even do that?"

Luz: "I'm kind of two for one package deal now. Not to mention, a quick study. Remember when you caught me in your room and I sent you a snoozing? It was after that."

Amity: "You knocked me out and went into my head?!"

Luz: " I'm getting the impression you're angry."

After taking one deep breath, she grabbed Luz by her face and pulled her close.

Amity: "Just, please, give it to me and we can go from there."

She was being pretty bold tonight.

Luz: "I can't say 'no' to that face. Especially like this, keeper of the staff."

Knowing full well that was a bad joke, she proceeded with Amity's request.

Amity(thinking to herself): "Please don't do anything weird. Please don't do anything weird. Please don't do anything weird. Please don't do anything weird."

Luz(echoing in Amity's head): "You know, I can hear you, in here. It's really a lot like what I've been living with on a day to day.."

Amity: "LUZ!"

Luz: "Right, right, we can talk about that later."

Popping out, Luz stood in front handing out the staff.

Luz: "One sure fire proof of my trust of you.. for you."

Her most trusted companion took the gift in her hand.

Amity: "It's the real thing. You actually meant it."

There was no mistaking the smug look on the latina's face as she placed her hands behind her head.

Luz: "Yep, we can be honest with each other."

Amity cut her off by raising her arm up. Now, the room had a serious tone shift.

Luz: "What're you doing?"

Amity: "You'd never lie to me, right? With or without this thing?"

Luz: "Bebe, this isn't funny."

Fear, once again, gripped a member of the Blight family.

Amity: "I order you to tell me the truth, what are you doing here?"

Luz: "I'm on a date with you."

Luz couldn't stop herself from answering, but she tried tweaking her answers.

Amity: "Why did you come back to Bonesborough?"

Luz: "I wanted to be with you all again."

Amity: "Are you planning something behind my back?"

Things were getting worse as it became apparent that Noceda didn't want to answer.

Luz: "Our second date, maybe. Now, can you give me that back, please?"

Amity: "One last thing, the empress is still in you, right? Neither of you are going to hurt anyone, right?"

This time, Luz covered her mouth, muffling her response.

Amity: "Take your hands off and tell me the truth!"

This feeling of once again not being in control of her own body; brought tears to her eyes.

Luz: "I don't want to hurt anyone. But I can't say the same for her."

Empress Luz: "GET THE STAFF!"

Amity found herself gripped from behind by a giant abomination hand. She looked back to see the Otabin mutant was still there.

Amity: "Wait, how are you doing that?"

The empress simply took back her staff and looked disgusted at what just happened.

Empress Luz: "I think I'm done answering questions."

Luz: "I pulled out all the stops for you, carino. It's my own 'little' mix of abomination, plant, illusion, and potion. Something that can keep on going, even if my finger stops spinning."

She just gazed at the object in her hands.

Luz: "I gave this to you because I trusted you."

The goo around Amity hardened; preventing her from moving a finger.

Luz(sadly): "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

She reached into the almost solid goo and searched Amity's pocket. Pulling out the tweezers just before the muck became rock hard.

Luz: "Thanks for the date, bonita. I'll be sure to remember it."

She held Amity's head still as she pulled out her memories of the date. Contrary to her pleas, Luz burned the ones that held the night's closing events. Her girlfriend felt the effects and passed out.

Empress Luz: "We'll have to clean this up."

Luz: "Hold on, I don't want to leave her like this. This could seriously damage her mind."

Luz used the tweezers on herself and pulled a couple memories. She done this before, unbeknownst to anyone else. When Willow's memories were burnt, her personality changed. Luz discovered that she could sort of keep that from happening by putting place holders.

After she had done the deed, she picked up the sleeping green haired witch in her arms, princess style.

Empress Luz: "Even after all that?!"

Luz: " You feel the same way, right?"

The two had gotten unbelievably good at switching control between them.

Empress: "What about the staff?"

Luz: "It can wait. I want to take her home and just forget this ever happened."

To her dismay, she knew her partner wouldn't simply "forgive and forget".

Empress: "Before we go, I think we should check her memories. I mean, it's only fair after what she just pulled."

Complying with her internal partner, they discovered the two other conspirators. She took the staff and hid it. She also took Amity home, but not before she made sure the coast was clear.

Willow and Gus would have no memory of their findings. They would be left to believe their investigations had come to a dead end. Reporting to Amity only that Luz Noceda had nothing to hide.

Author's note:

I just want to make two things clear.

1.) In "Understanding Willow", Willow's brain appeared to be faulty after her memories were burnt. I figured Amity might unknowingly experience something similar AFTER Luz left her in her room. No funny business. Amity was half asleep and disoriented when she changed into her new attire.

2.) I've wondered, how Amity might react to Nevareth or Luz's other crushes? I just wanted to throw that idea into the hat.

[spicycreativity]

Soft-Shoe Shuffle - Ch 4

Chapter: 4/12

Additional Notes: See Ch 1 for more information. Read on AO3 under "WizardGlick." Any formatting/italics errors are holdovers from AO3 that I was too lazy to fix.

Chapter Content Warnings:

Excerpt:

Remus smacked the back of Janus’ head with his open palm. “You sneaky little shit."

“Maybe now you’ll think twice about your letter-writing habits.”

Remus fixed Janus with his glassy-eyed gaze and gave a slow, wicked smile. “Was it not up to your ssssssssstandards,” he asked, “you good old-fashioned lover boy?”

A palm-sized origami frog perched on Janus' door at about eye level, with a small envelope in its mouth. Remus' work.

You know that talk is cheap

And those rumors ain't nice

And when I fall asleep

I don't think I'll survive the night

Janus peeled the frog off the door and examined the envelope as he walked to his desk.

He handled it gingerly, but it didn't explode or burst into flames or (God forbid) start singing. It was only an envelope with a single sheet of paper inside, on which Remus had written… his version of a love poem:

Dear Patton-oster,

How fiercely dost thou squeeze my pulsing heart!

Thy fist that veiny organ grips too strong.

Let my blood coat thy most clandestine parts:

By which, of course, I mean your dick-- come on.

My heart thy dick with equal firmness hold,

And stroke thyself as I too stroke for thee:

Yes, nightly! nightly! many nights untold,

I marry the bed, wishing it were thee.

I do admit thy puns exasperate,

Still, I picture you when I masturbate.

Signed,

Your Secret Admirer

Face aflame, Janus carefully folded the letter, placed it back in the envelope, inserted the envelope in the frog's mouth, gently placed the frog in his wastebasket, and set the whole thing on fire.

He had work to do, work that didn't involve Remus' influence.

Exerting his own influence over Thomas' thoughts was a mere matter of re-prioritizing. It was easier now that Patton wasn't outright working against him, although their functions were still nearly incompatible.

Janus stared at the empty expanse of the desk before him, shiny lacquered ebony, and braced his elbows on it. It helped to move his hands as he worked. On a good day, he would use all six. Today, he only used two, and weaved suggestions. He bound them up with logic (or what seemed like logic) and tied them to anxieties.

The fire in his wastebasket went out on its own, but not before leaving scorch marks on the side of his desk and filling the room with a smell of smoke that brought Janus' headache back with a vengeance and made his eyes water and his throat sting.

He spared a thought to summon two more aspirin and a glass of water (no, Blue Cherry Gatorade).

He got the hard work out of the way first before moving on to innocuous white lies. These came attached to morality. Janus focused on his work rather than letting his mind wander to thoughts of Patton's smile, the way his laugh made Janus feel like he'd just stepped into a sunbeam.

Hours must have passed, but he scarcely noticed, caught up in the gentle flow of his work.

"Janus?" The sound of knocking on the door brought his train of thought to a screeching halt.

Janus dropped the threads he'd been holding and immediately started to cough upon snapping back to reality. What had he been thinking, setting a fire like that?

"You okay in there?" Patton asked, voice muffled through the door. "I think I can smell smoke!"

"It's nothing, Patton." Janus wiped his streaming eyes. The tears left dark marks on his gloves. "One moment." He walked, slowly, like everything was under control, to the door, vanishing all the smoke and fixing the side of his desk as he went.

He only cracked the door at first, in case this was some sort of elaborate trap to get him to socialize with the others, but it was only Patton who stood there. He was holding a sheet of computer paper, folded into a card.

Janus' gaze fell on it and he forgot social niceties, nearly igniting his wastebasket again in a fit of panic. Surely Remus hadn't--

"It's for you," Patton said, holding out the card.

"Oh." Janus took it and examined the crayon drawing of a rainbow on the front. " Please tell me this is a disturbingly well-thought-out love poem."

"What?" Patton's smile became strained, then faltered into a look of puzzlement.

For the second time that day, Janus was forced to hide his blush under a mask. "Never mind. It was a bad joke." He took the card from Patton. "I'll just open this." He proceeded to do so while Patton babbled something about leaving poetry to the 'prose.'

The card turned out to be an invitation to watch Planet Earth with Patton and Logan later that night. Endearingly, Patton had included a little notecard so Janus could RSVP.

Janus summoned a brass Monteverde Invincia in his right hand before realizing he had no surface to write on.

Patton evidently noticed him floundering and turned around, removing his cardigan as he went. "Here, use my back."

"Couldn't I just tell you?" Janus mumbled, though he knew the answer. By summoning a pen, he had demonstrated a willingness to play the game.

So he pressed the RSVP card to Patton's back and marked the box next to 'yes.'

The bare patch of skin where his sleeve cuff rode up brushed against the fabric of Patton's shirt, sending a white-hot thrill through Janus' chest.

For unrelated reasons, he dropped the pen. He sent it back to his desk before it hit the floor. "Done."

Patton turned around and snatched the card from Janus' hand before Janus even registered what was happening. For a split second, his face lit up. Then it fell back into a neutral, guarded expression. "Do you mean it?" When Janus nodded, he continued, "I kind of would have expected… y'know, the opposite."

"I wasn't trying to be considerate; I know how much you love it when you can't understand me."

"Oh! That is nice of you, Janus."

Janus waved a hand. "Well, we're all making changes." He carefully did not make a face after saying this. He'd known it was true, but it felt different to say it out loud; it made a sick shiver crawl down his spine. Then something else struck him. "Oh."

"What?"

"Remus is likely to drop in tonight." Patton tilted his head, and his eyes flicked between Janus and the direction of the curtain, so Janus elaborated, "No, I didn't invite him. Never mind the fact that there's no way I could have while standing here and talking to you, it is precisely the fact that he wasn't invited that makes me think he's going to come."

"Oh," said Patton. "Should I invite him? I don't want to be rude."

Janus' mind jumped to the ashes still smoldering in his wastebasket and said, "No." He lowered his voice and added, "But when he does show up, please do try to give him a warm welcome."

"Him?"

Janus only raised an eyebrow. "Unless you have some moral objection?"

Patton sighed. "Okay."

--

In the few hours before he was due to meet Logan and Patton in the living room, Janus finished up his work. Logan had pointedly straightened out a few of the logical fallacies Janus had woven, and Janus could practically see the red ink splashed across Logan's papers. He let a few of them go, tied the next few tighter, then sat back in his chair.

Whatever Virgil and Roman were doing in their rooms, they certainly weren't working very hard.

Janus passed by their doors on his way to the living room and perceived no signs of life from within, not that he cared. He had extended hands to both Virgil and Roman in the past; it wasn't Janus' fault they wanted to burn bridges. His conscience was clean on both accounts.

End of story.

He definitely wasn't wearing a bitter scowl when he arrived in the living room, and his first reaction upon seeing Patton absolutely was not a warm smile that he hurriedly had to divert into a smirk. That would be silly. Like the others, Patton was a pawn to be used when Janus needed, and tolerated when he didn't. And that absurd cat onesie he was wearing wasn't cute in the slightest.

"You're not wearing a onesie," Patton said, vaulting over the couch with none of a cat's grace. He landed heavily and planted his hands on his hips. "Didn't you read the dress code, bud?"

"'Bud'?" Janus repeated, making no effort to conceal his disgust at the over-familiarity. Just how far was he going to let Patton push him?

Patton faltered and blushed and Janus forgave everything in one fluttering heartbeat. "Sorry," Patton said. "You don't seem like a 'kiddo,' so I thought I could try a new nickname." A look of horror dawned on his face and he gasped and added, "Not that I don't like your name! I think 'Janus' is a lovely name but I call everyone else 'kiddo' so I thought-- But then--"

Janus failed entirely to hold back a rush of laughter. "It's fine. Really."

"So I can call you--"

"Janus. You can call me Janus."

"I'll find a nickname you like," Patton said with a decisive nod.

"Where's Logan, anyway? It's very like him to be late."

"Logan's in the kitchen," Patton waved a hand in that direction. "He's trying out a new method for popping all the popcorn kernels without actually burning the popcorn."

"Well, doesn't that sound fascinating."

Patton didn't appear to be listening. With his mouth twisted in thought, he looked Janus slowly up and down. "Hmm."

Janus swallowed. "Like what you see?"

Patton snapped and suddenly Janus was clad in warm fleece. "Now I do!"

"A parrot?" Janus said, looking down at what was evidently a scarlet macaw onesie.

"Okay, so, maybe I panicked," Patton said. "But I think it suits you, and I ain't fffflying." Janus squinted. Patton continued, apologetically, "Bird puns are harder than you'd think."

Janus adjusted his hat. He kept up the dignified silence just to watch Patton squirm, and not because he was trying to think of a better bird pun. "I suppose I can handle being a parrot for tonight," he said finally, giving up. Patton was right; bird puns were hard.

Just then, Logan emerged from the kitchen with three mismatched bowls balanced in his arms. "I tried using a wok to pop the kernels, and it actually worked quite well."

"Patton got you, too?" Janus asked, studying Logan's unicorn onesie with a critical eye.

Logan thinned his lips and colored slightly. "Well."

Janus made the realization a half second too late. "I suppose it logically follows," he said hurriedly, well-aware that he was making absolutely no sense.

"Oh?"

"I don't expect you'd be able to properly relax in jeans and a tie." Janus waved a hand and noticed a flash of yellow-- Patton had left his gloves on him. Which was to be expected. It wasn't like Janus made any effort to hide how important they were to him. So he didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy that Patton had noticed this and left them (and his hat) on.

Logan gave a short nod and indicated for Janus to take one of the bowls of popcorn.

Remus made his appearance near the beginning of episode two of Planet Earth. “Monkeys, hm?” he said, popping up behind the couch.

They all flinched, even Janus, who had been expecting this. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Patton shook himself and turned toward Remus with a pasted-on smile. “Remus!”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”

Patton’s eyes flicked toward Janus, who gave him only the tiniest nod of encouragement in the hopes that Remus wouldn't notice anything amiss. “Uh, I was hoping you would drop by! It’s good to see you.”

“It is ?” Remus said, recoiling. “What’s gotten into you, Daddy Dominus?”

“Nothing! Just bein’ friendly.” Patton’s smile was fading by the second.

“Actually,” Logan said, “I was also hoping you would show up.” He scooted closer to Patton to make a space by the armrest. “You can sit next to me if you’d like.”

Remus glanced between Patton and Logan, his look of puzzlement rapidly morphing into disgust. “Why?”

Finally, he looked to Janus in desperate agitation, his eyes wide and expression utterly helpless. Janus allowed himself to laugh. It wasn’t often that he got one over on Remus, who was notoriously hard to ruffle.

"You!” Remus shouted.

“You should have ssseen your face!” Janus said in between breathless spasms of laughter.

Remus smacked the back of Janus’ head with his open palm. “You sneaky little shit."

“Maybe now you’ll think twice about your letter-writing habits.”

Remus fixed Janus with his glassy-eyed gaze and gave a slow, wicked smile. “Was it not up to your ssssssssstandards,” he asked, “you good old-fashioned lover boy?”

Janus bit his tongue. Now was not the time to engage Remus in an argument, playful though it was. “Why don’t you sit down by Logan and watch the monkeys? Now that you know he and Patton don’t want you here.”

“I don’t-- You asked--” Patton protested feebly.

Remus was examining his fingers like he was thinking about sticking them in Patton’s mouth when Logan interjected, “I was not in on any prank, Remus. You’re welcome to sit next to me.”

Remus ignored him. “This isn’t over, Shakespeare in the Dark.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see what you do next.” Janus waved goodbye as Remus sank out with one final lewd gesture at Patton. Before Logan or Patton could ask any questions, Janus snatched the remote from Logan’s hand with one deft motion and hit play.

The rest of the episode became blurrier and less meaningful by the moment until the sight of the TV screen slipped away, then the sound, then everything.

Janus only became aware he’d fallen asleep when he half-woke in somebody’s arms.

“Don’t freak out,” Remus said, “it’s just me. Didn’t think you’d want to spend the night on the couch.”

Janus nodded against Remus' chest and closed his eyes again.

Aside

When the clock struck 3:00 am, Roman stuck his head out his bedroom door and looked around for any signs of life. He couldn't face the others, not yet. Seeing nothing, he walked barefoot to the kitchen. He stared at the carpet as he went, still keeping an ear out for any indication that the others were awake. But there was nothing, so he proceeded.

The kitchen was dark except for the light over the sink, which Patton always switched on at night. Roman sighed and braced his arms against the bar. He had hoped the change of scenery might make him feel better,, but it only increased the loneliness sitting heavy on his chest.

He jumped when Virgil’s voice came from the shadows. “Been missing out on beauty sleep? You look rough.”

Roman turned to find Virgil seated on the counter opposite the bar with his legs splayed out in front of him and his back pressed against the fridge. He breathed a sigh of relief through his nose. He could at least face Virgil. “You don’t look so good yourself.” It was true. Virgil's coal-black eyeshadow was smudgier than Roman had ever seen it, and the way it streaked down toward his jaw made it look as though Virgil had inadvertently smeared it with his fingers by repeatedly running his hands down his face. "Where have you been, anyway?"

Virgil's lip curled. "Let's just say I'm going through it right now and leave it at that."

"So am I, my preoccupied purple partner. So am I." Roman hopped up on the counter by Virgil's feet and nearly smacked his head on the cabinets. Virgil, to his credit, only laughed a little bit. "I actually haven't seen the others in… several days now."

"Did something happen?"

"Let's just say a certain sneaky snake Side slithered his way into a situation that didn't concern him."

Virgil sat up straight. "What did he do? Is everyone okay?"

"Oh, everyone's fine. He and Patton and Thomas are all best pals now, and… Well, I suppose royal red is going out of style."

"He turned Patton against you like that?" Virgil demanded. "How? Patton can be naive at times, but he's not dumb ."

Roman sighed and buried his face in his hands. "No, Virgil, I'm afraid that was all me. I don't even want to tell you what I did, but I'm going to stay in my room until… Well, I don't know. Until the nightmare ends, I suppose."

"Jeeze." Virgil gave a mirthless chuckle. "Well, now my thing doesn't seem so bad. I also haven't been out of my room in several days."

"I know, Sweet Emo-tion, I was starting to worry. What happened? Did Thomas start thinking about that time in 9th grade where he--"

"No!" Virgil said, a touch too loud. "Uh, no. I… I told him."

"...About that time in 9th grade where he--"

"I told him I used to be, you know, a 'Dark Side'."

"And he took it badly?" Roman asked. "Really? But he loves you."

"He just looked at me." Virgil swallowed hard, his eyes vacant. "And somehow his silence was so much worse than anything he could have actually said to me."

"Well." Roman let his head fall back against the bottom of the cabinets with a dull thud. "Aren't we the pretty pair? The disgraced prince and the not-so-reformed villain."

"Yeah."

For a moment, they were silent.

Then Roman said, in an uncertain tone. "Virgil?"

"Yeah?"

"I… I really never thought I'd say this, but. I'm glad you're here with me. I'm glad it's you ."

"Honestly? Same." Virgil bit his lip and fixed his gaze on his socks. "Do you... maybe want to hang in my room for a bit? We can have a sleepover. A really depressing, pathetic sleepover."

"I think I'd like that," Roman said. And for the first time in days, he smiled .